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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, OCT. 22, 2015 – Willie Taggart is starting to see his grand plan come together.
After handling Syracuse and UConn, the Bulls are hungry for more success heading into Saturday's 4 p.m. home game against SMU.
“Winning helps those guys realize all that work we've been doing and all those things coach has been saying, it's starting to pay off,” Taggart said.
USF (3-3, 1-1) eyes its first three-game winning streak since 2011 and the Bulls are ready to seize the opportunity. Taggart said his squad has been “locked in” all week at practices that have taken on a game-like feel.
“It's great to see the energy and the competitive level that we have at the end of practice. We just did a two-minute (drill) and you would have thought it was the first period of the day,” Taggart said after Thursday's session.
Finishing strong is something the Bulls have done well the past two weeks. USF used a 35-point second half to put Syracuse away and scored 21 points after the break in a 28-20 win at UConn last week.
Taggart wants to see the trend continue and he's tailored some practice sessions to make the Bulls tougher with time.
“We've tried to really get our guys tired and make them think while they're tired,” he said. “I was really excited about the way they responded to it because we went out and conditioned midway through practice and then wanted them to finish the way they need to. They executed well and that was good to see because that hadn't happened before and the energy was still there.”
The Bulls know they'll need another complete performance Saturday against an SMU team that has a deceiving 1-5 record. The Mustangs averaged 29 points in tough tests against No. 4 Baylor and No. 3 TCU in the first three weeks of the season. In conference play, SMU led East Carolina at halftime and was ahead of unbeaten Houston in the second quarter the last time out.
“You have to come ready to play and be ready to score some points or you're going to be in trouble in this league,” Taggart said.
Here are five things to watch for as USF goes after its second straight win over SMU:
USF Ground Attack
USF ranks 15th nationally with 233 rushing yards per game and it could be business as usual Saturday if another trend continues. SMU ranks 124th in the FBS in rush defense with 273 yards on the ground allowed per game.
The Bulls are coming off a 275-yard rushing performance at UConn and the Bulls have passed the 250-yard mark four times already this season. Marlon Mack rushed for 113 yards on only 13 carries at UConn and the sophomore is 311 yards away from his second 1,000-yard season.
USF continues to get production from its two other talented backs. Junior Darius Tice is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and sophomore D'Ernest Johnson isn't far behind with 4.7 yards per attempt.
“All three of those guys, they do a great job of pushing each other and holding each other to a standard at running back,” Taggart said. “They want that room to be one of the best in the country.”
Flowers Continues to Grow
Averaging 4.4 yards per carry with four touchdowns, Quinton Flowers is another player SMU has to account for in the run game. The Mustangs also know the dual-threat quarterback can make big plays happen with his arm.
Flowers threw a pair of 44-yard touchdown passes to Rodney Adams last week to bring his season TD toss total up to 10. Flowers has thrown five touchdown passes in the past three games.
“I think that's what we're all seeing is a kid getting comfortable,” Taggart said. “He knows what he's doing. He can play instinctively and get the ball to the guys he has to get it to.”
What's been really impressive about Flowers has been his improved accuracy and decision-making as the season's progressed. The sophomore completed nearly 70 percent of his passes in the past three games.
Flowers is seven starts into his career and Taggart said his increased experience is showing before the ball is even snapped.
“When you know where to go with (the ball) pre-snap, it makes it so much easier once the ball is snapped,” Taggart said. “That's what we're seeing with Quinton now. He's figured some things out before the ball is snapped and he's executing a lot better when the ball is snapped.”
Receivers Keep Catching On
It took a little time, but USF's receivers are really starting to do something in the up-tempo offense.
Junior Rodney Adams, sophomore Ryeshene Bronson and freshman Chris Barr have registered a combined total of 19 catches for 339 yards and four touchdowns during the Bulls' two-game winning streak.
“We just knew it was a matter of time before those guys put it together,” Taggart said. “They're having fun executing and they're making plays with it.”
Adams had his best game as a Bull last week, hauling in a career-high five pass for 118 yards and three touchdowns. The St. Petersburg native did all that just two days after suffering a knee contusion in practice.
“Rodney is a big-time player for us,” Taggart said. “It was great to see him step up and make those plays.”
'Bull Sharks' to Face Another Mobile QB
Taggart said a player that reminds him of Flowers is SMU quarterback Matt Davis.
Davis is tied for second in The American with 11 TD passes and the junior leads the Mustangs' ground game with 426 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
“He's the one that makes it go,” Taggart said. “You look at any of these teams out there playing, that QB position, if he's the dude, you've got a chance. Matt Davis is a dude for them.”
Tom Allen's “Bull Sharks” have intercepted a pass in each of the past two games and extending the streak would be an impressive feat. Davis has thrown 181 passes this season with only two interceptions.
Bulls Very Familiar With SMU Defensive Scheme
USF's offense will face a defensive scheme it's very familiar with Saturday afternoon. SMU runs a multiple 4-2-5 defense, much like the alignment Allen implemented when he took over as the Bulls' defensive coordinator in December.
“The last three defensive opponents have been real different in their looks, in their approaches and in their styles. They've been new to our offense,” co-offensive coordinator Danny Hope said. “This defensive front and this defensive structure this week is something we're familiar with because we see it every day in practice against our own defense.”
The USF Football program is in its 19th season overall and 16th at the FBS level. The Bulls have made six bowl appearances, including every season between 2005-10, and have four bowl game victories. USF has produced 14 All-America selections, 25 NFL Draft picks and reached the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press Poll in 2007.
